The present invention is directed to tracking video distributions. More particularly, the invention provides methods and systems for finding and identifying videos being distributed on the Internet, and/or collecting and presenting tracking data about the identified videos over a period of time. Merely by way of example, the invention has been applied to tracking videos on the Internet. But it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
The Internet has become a distribution platform for various types of media. Recently, video distributions over the Internet grow rapidly into a social and cultural phenomenon. An enormous number of videos have flooded onto the Internet, and these videos often require effective monitoring and tracking. For example, content owners of various videos want to monitor and track unauthorized distributions of their video contents, so that appropriate actions, such as sending take-down notices, can be taken. In another example, marketers of various videos also need to monitor and track distributions of the videos in order to determine their popularity and study their pattern of consumption.
The conventional techniques of tracking video distributions often lack sufficient accuracy and is usually not automatic. Hence it is highly desirable to improve techniques for finding and identifying videos.